The Hidden Truths
by LegendaryPhenom
Summary: After six long years, Dawn Berlitz and Ash Ketchum finally reunite. The Grand Festival and Sinnoh League loom over them, their final obstacles to overcome in their quests to be Top Coordinator and Pokemon Master. But a revelation of Dawn's past, a mysterious Voice, and powers beyond comprehension threaten not only their relationship but the world. Adult themes, dark content later.


Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the media mentioned, such as Dragon Ball and Metallica.

Warning: This fic will contain vulgar language, dark and controversial themes, and violence (and a possible lemon). More information will be given as the story progresses.

* * *

Finally. Six long years of waiting patiently were finally going to end. Nothing else had been in her mind for so long, but nothing else deserved such patience. Today was one of the few days that Dawn Berlitz awoke alongside her namesake. Usually, like most teenagers, she would do her best to get five more minutes (more like an hour) of sleep. Because of this, she rarely got to wake up while the sun was still rising, unlike when she was younger.

Before she had gone out on her adventure, Dawn had made a habit to wake up with the sunrise to humor herself. Even when things had gone bad before, the emerging star always put her in a good mood. According to her mother, Dawn was actually born while the sun rose, hence where her name came from. But over time, with the adventures and school that arose, Dawn found herself arising with the sun less and less often, and there would be days where just missing the sunrise ruined her day, leaving her in a foul mood for the rest of it.

But today was special, for many reasons. Today was the beginning of the first official week of the summer break. Dawn had just completed her sophomore year of high school, obviously with highest academic honors, and the first few days of her break had been spent resting and sleeping in. But today was when she would begin truly immersing herself into the three months of summer.

Usually, like years prior, she would take this time to continue honing her skills by participating in in Contests and Gym battles. She had planned to do the same this year, and possibly continue marketing her own brand of Contest clothes. The summer before she began high school, Dawn was able to begin an independent line of clothes specifically tailored for Contests, and she enjoyed unprecedented success. Eventually, multiple major lines made her offers and deals in order to get her brand, but she refused. Currently, Dresses by Dawn is the largest independent clothing brand in Sinnoh, yet she, her mother, and a few friends were the only employees. Somehow, they made it work.

There was so much Dawn wanted to do for herself, especially with the fact that it had been three years since she truly participated in Contests. Although she was a very successful Coordinator, she had yet to win the big one in her home region. She had succeeded in doing so in Kanto, Johto and Hoenn, but victory in Sinnoh always eluded her. She had always made it to the finals, but she always came up short. Dawn still dreamed to be as great as her mother was, but schooling and life took precedence over her dream.

Before entering high school, her mother had talked to Dawn about having something to fall back on, because there was always the chance that Contests wouldn't be enough. The family was living off of the earnings the two had made over the years from Contests and Gym battles, but there were moments in the past where they had financially struggled, especially with the global recession four years prior. With this in mind, Dawn had temporarily put her dreams aside to study, knowing that her future depended on what she was doing now. With the arrival of summer, Dawn had a chance to go back to her dreams. However, this wasn't to be.

As she sat up in bed, yawning as she stretched, Dawn slowly shifted her gaze towards her window, where the sun's rays hovered over the mountaintops. A soft faint smile emerged on the young sixteen-year old's face as she watched the sun rise and rise. She watched it for a few moments, remembering all the times she used to get up with it when she was little, and all the times it woke her up while on her first adventure six years before. She still held those moments with her friends close in her heart, especially those with _him._

She giggled as she reflected on all those moments she had with him, especially in those days. They promised to each other that they would meet again, but their constant endeavors towards their dreams had prevented them from truly being together since Dawn visited him while he was on his adventures in Unova. But that was going to change today. On the afternoon of the very last day of school, Dawn finally was able to get in contact with longtime friend Ash Ketchum for the first time in two years.

* * *

"_Crap…crap…more crap…summer program at Solaceon University? Cool! What else? More crap…more crap… even more crap…general email from University of Legend, nice…crap…so much crap."_

_Dawn was lazily surfing through the massive amount of emails she had. Never one to commit to such a thing, she would check her inbox once every two weeks, and she always met the same thing: an army of emails. Most were just spam or more offerings that big clothing lines made to her, and these were swiftly clicked into the trash. Some interesting emails would pop up on occasion, such as an order for a dress by a Top Coordinator, or the standard mail from different universities across the globe. But major things rarely came up, and she more often received these by text or by call rather than email._

_As she browsed through more junk mail and deleted it in massive waves, a familiar "ding!" popped amongst the storm of stuck keys and clicks. "What now?" she moaned, leaning back in annoyance and boredom. Every time she forced herself onto her email, someone would notice she was online and would message her. Most of the time it was the same companies that were trying to buy her business out. She would always block them, but they would somehow make a new email to contact her. "It better not be…"_

_As she prepared to write yet another ranting denial, the name of the messenger caught her eye: AK-47. "What the f-?"Usually, the messages she received were from the company website or even the name of an employee. But AK-47? No, they were too stupid to come up with anything like that. With a raised eyebrow she read the only word in the message: 'Dawn?'_

_Something about the letters AK tugged at her memories, as if she knew who the letters belonged to. Another message showed up: 'Is it really you?' As she looked at the two words and the letters AK, Dawn remained confused. The letters sounded very familiar to her. A third message appeared: 'Do you remember me?' From six years ago?' AK…Six years ago…First adventures…new friends…him?_

"_Ash?" Dawn muttered as she typed the question onto the messenger. Time froze as she waited for a response, not knowing what would come. After a few moments of silence, another "ding!" announced the appearance of the reply: 'Yes, this is Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Master! Is this Dawn Berlitz, Top Coordinator?'_

_She quickly answered, 'Yes' without thinking, cursing herself for doing so. The minutes seemed to tick by as she waited for another reply. A minute became two, and then five, and finally ten. She wondered if the messenger was even Ash in the first place, and not some kind of identity thief or a spammer._

_Finally, after fifteen minutes, the "ding!" reappeared, sounding much louder after that period of silence. Dawn was caught by surprise from the sound, nearly shouting, "Oh shi-," before stopping herself. With a sigh she read the next line from the messenger: 'Um, what am I supposed to say? Um, hi, Dawn?' Somehow, that line perfectly described how she felt towards what she wanted to say to him. It was very strange, talking to who was supposedly Ash Ketchum via a messenger where she couldn't hear his voice or see his face._

'_Hi? It's been two years since I last talked with you,' she typed, not knowing what else to respond with._

'_And six since we traveled together. Sorry I couldn't get to you earlier. I've just been super busy as of late. How is everything going with you?' the messenger asked. Still unsure whether it was Ash or not, Dawn asked, 'Can you video chat? I want to see if it really is you.'_

_The messenger replied, 'I have it, but I can't use it right now.'_

_Curious, she asked, 'Why not? I need to know who I am talking to.'_

'_Because Pikachu fried my camera when I wouldn't give him the ketchup… it's a long story…' Dawn giggled at this. No one else had a Pikachu obsessed with ketchup, and certainly not one that would electrocute things if he didn't get said ketchup._

'_It really is you!' she typed, almost unable to contain her excitement of talking to her close friend for the first time in six years._

'_I wanted to see you, but for some reason, the videophone told me your number is unavailable. What happened?'_

_Almost laughing at the ridiculousness and irony of it all, she responded, 'Because Pachirisu accidentally fried the videophone when we were training about a week ago, and the new one hasn't arrived yet.'_

'_What are the odds? XD. Kinda sucks we have to talk over the webs like this. I would have loved to see you now, two years later.'_

'_Wait, why is your username AK-47? Isn't that the name of a gun?'_

'_It's so I don't get all the random spam from Trainers who want to challenge me, companies who want me to represent them, directors who want me to star in movies, and all those damn media outlets who want just one more picture or one more interview… It's crap.'_

'_You're smarter than you look. That, I can give you Ash. Then again, any improvement for you is notable.'_

'_Hey! I've had six years. I had to at least get better at something other than battles… But yeah, it's crap._

_I know what you mean. So, what's up, Ash?' For the next hour or so, Dawn and Ash talked to each other about the past two years and the big events that occurred in their lives. Dawn learned that Ash had gone back to the Indigo League in Kanto when he was 14 and he actually won, going on to defeat the Elite Four and defeat the current Champion of the region. He has yet to lose as Pokémon Champion. He also revealed that had won the Leagues in Johto, Hoenn, Unova, and Kalos, but had yet to win in Sinnoh._

_While on this topic, Ash mentioned, 'Oh! I almost forgot! I've been going back to the regions I visited and traveled in them again, for memories' sake. Guess what? I'm coming to Sinnoh for the summer!' For a while Dawn stared at the words he had just typed, not knowing if she was really reading what she was reading._

_Within the deepness of her mind, she heard a little voice telling her, __**'Looks like you still have a chance. He's coming over here, to your home region. There is still a chance.**__' A soft and gentle smile emerged as the words repeated themselves in her head, 'Yes, yes…" All of a sudden, she yelped in excitement, leaping out of her chair and pumping her fists. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she muttered to herself as she typed, 'That's awesome! We can finally see each other again!'_

_Before she could read the next message, Dawn heard a knock on her door. She went over and opened it to find her mother standing there, looking worried. She had her arms crossed and was leaning on her right leg, with that leg bent and her left leg straight. Dawn's smile faded as she noticed how tense her mother was._

"_Dawn," Johanna asked, "What's going on? I heard you yelp a moment ago. Everything alright?"_

_Unable to control herself, Dawn blurted out, "Everything's fine, Mom! No need to worry. I'm just talking to a good friend of mine. I guess I got a little excited…hehe." She rubbed the back of her head, feeling slightly embarrassed over her outburst._

_Puzzled, Johanna questioned, "Who is it you're talking to?" Dawn lowered her head and softly mumbled something, still feeling embarrassed. Johanna proceeded to enter her daughter's room despite Dawn's protests, and noticed the computer turned on. Before Dawn could try to stop her, she took a quick look at the open messenger and skimmed the conversation. Dawn desperately tried to get her mother to stop reading the private conversation, but Johanna refused to move._

_After a skim, Johanna slowly turned to her daughter with a mocking and knowing smile emerging on her face. She seductively stated, "Oh, it's __**him**__..." Dawn began to blush profusely and she buried her face in her hands. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her mother was right. Johanna sat down on Dawn's bed, causing the young girl to grumble once again about invasion of privacy. Johanna ignored Dawn's complaints, motioning to her to continue talking with Ash. "Why don't you ask him if he has a place to stay for when he visits?"_

_Although she was still blushing slightly and was still annoyed by the fact that her mother was watching and reading her conversation, Dawn did as her mother suggested. Ash replied, 'Not yet. Still looking for someplace.'_

_Even without her mother telling her, Dawn knew what she was going to suggest. The more she thought about the proposal, the more she liked it. Dawn asked, 'Would you like to stay at my place? We have the guest room open. We wouldn't mind if you stayed. Mom's alright with it. Besides, she wants to know how handsome you've gotten.'_

"_So do you, Dawn," Johanna commented with another of her smiles._

"_MOM!" Dawn's face lit up again, much to the entertainment of her mother. Johanna chuckled as Dawn hung her head again, almost curling up into a ball in her embarrassment. "Yeah, I kinda do…," the young girl whispered. The usual "ding!" brought Dawn out of her despair, and she read the message, 'That'd be great! Mom's alright with it! I'll be arriving Monday at noon or so at the ferry port. You guys can meet me up over there then!'_

_Dawn nearly screamed in delight at the news. Her mother commented, "You are just adorable, Dawn." No matter how hard Dawn tried to ignore it, her mother managed to get under her skin with just a few words. She nearly curled up again, but the thought of Ash being with her for the summer soon took over her mind. A "ding!" interrupted the little episode._

'_And I don't think your mom will be disappointed…:D' the message read. Dawn couldn't help but blush even harder than before. "Dawn, you look like a ripe tomato. Don't go popping an artery or something," her mother warned. Dawn breathed deeply, and slowly the color returned to her face. A quick glance at the clock showed it was half past eleven at night. Fatigue from the school year was finally catching up on her. With the tiniest of smiles on her face and a yawn, Dawn typed, 'We'll see you then. I have to go. Getting kind of sleepy.'_

'_Now you're speaking my language. Good night, Dawn!'_

'_Good night!'_

* * *

Thinking back on it, Dawn found it hilarious that Ash actually figured out how to spell right, and use the proper form of 'you're'. He hadn't been the sharpest tool in the shed for sure, so having a proper conversation with him with little grammar errors was truly a miracle to behold. If it wasn't for his usual quirkiness and obliviousness to subtlety, she might have doubted it was him. The sun had risen almost completely over the mountains, illuminating Twinleaf town with a gentle glow. As she scanned the landscape, Dawn noticed her faint reflection in the window. What she saw was one of the most hideous sights ever befallen on human eyes.

"My hair!? What happened!?" she screamed. Some of her hair did appear proper, resting straight and flat across her back. Two long locks about the same size flowed onto her shoulders. It was the top half that bothered her. Somehow, her hair was grouped onto many spikes splayed in all directions, with most of them off to the left slightly. Her bangs were also spiked similarly, in three groups floating slightly over her forehead. It was the worst case of bedhead she ever had. Normally, bedhead didn't bother her as much as when she was younger. But it was never this bad, and Ash would be there later that day.

"Where's that brush? Damn it! Every time I need it..." She climbed out of bed and searched throughout her room, looking in every place where she could have left it. It wasn't in her drawers, on the vanity, under the bed, in the restroom, or even in a corner of her bedroom. As Dawn passed by the mirror, she paused and looked back at her reflection in full view. There weren't as many spikes as she originally thought, and they seemed much more organized. The spikes seemed to have mid-line to the right on her head, making the left spikes longer and larger than those on the right. It reminded her of something…

"I was going to take a shower anyway…" she muttered as she found her blue eyeliner, one that matched her hair and eyes. Dawn applied a thin shadow trim around her eyes, nothing over the top but enough to be visible. Once she was done, she grabbed her phone off the top of her vanity opened the camera. She wasn't one to take a selfie, but this was a special occasion. She propped it against the mirror, making sure the camera pointed towards her. Dawn gave the camera a menacing glare, and stood tall with her fists clenched and her head tilted slightly towards the camera. The ten-second delay passed by quickly with a small click. As she checked on the photo, which took most of the top half of her body, she heard a pair of soft steps behind her.

She slowly turned to find Piplup and Buneary tiptoeing towards her restroom. And Piplup had Dawn's brush pressed against his chest. Of course. Deciding to further play along with the look, Dawn growled at Piplup with a slightly deeper voice, "Again? Really, Piplup?" The two small Pokémon froze mid step, a bead of sweat appearing on the back of their heads. The two nervously turned to face her, Piplup still clutching the hairbrush. The two nearly yelped at the sight before them.

Dawn stood before them with the wild hair look and blue shadow trim around her eyes. She glared at the two, arms crossed and slightly leaning on one leg. Buneary nervously back up behind Piplup, and proceeded to push him towards Dawn, much to the alarm of the small penguin. He yelled and thrashed to stop her, but Buneary continued pushing towards Dawn. When she stopped, Piplup angrily chewed her out, waving the hairbrush about has he flailed his flippers in rage. Dawn cleared her throat, moving so that her shadow was above the two of them.

The two freaked out again. Piplup ran behind Buneary. The two kept on switching places, trying to push the other towards Dawn. After a bit of this, Piplup began to flip out again, but this time Buneary answered him back. The two pushed their heads against the other, and Buneary grabbed the brush from Piplup, causing him to anger even more. He snatched it from her, looking smug with his chest out and eyes closed. Buneary quickly took it again with her ear and smashed him on the head with it. Piplup grunted, snatched the brush back, and swung at her. Buneary ducked, but Piplup kept trying to hit her.

"That's enough," Dawn growled in the slightly deeper voice, sending chills up the spines of her two Pokémon. She knelt down to their level, and the two backed up a little bit. "Now is that any way to treat each other?" The two shook their heads rapidly, making it seem like they had many heads. Dawn put her hand out and ordered, "Give it back." Piplup nervously waddled up to her and placed the brush in her hand. With a mischievous smile on her face, Dawn leaned closer to her Pokémon and softly whispered, "Boo."

Piplup freaked out, running in circles before he tripped on Dawn's foot and face planted on top of Buneary. Buneary slapped him off with one of her ears, and the two stoop up glaring at each other. Having had enough fun, Dawn said in her normal voice, "Don't fight, guys. I was just messing with you." The two stopped glaring at each other and turned to their Trainer. She smiled at them with her eyes closed, the menacing look she had earlier replaced by a friendly and welcoming one. After a bit, Piplup began to laugh, and Buneary couldn't help but laugh as well from the ridiculousness of it all.

Dawn chuckled, "You know what? You guys want to help me mess with Mom? I still need to pay her back for Wednesday. It's the least I could do for scarring you for life." With a quick glance at each other, the two Pokémon nodded with mischievous smiles, and Dawn gave them one of her own. "Let's show Mom that I finally reached the fourth level!"

* * *

Johanna was preparing breakfast, having already set most of the table and waiting for the soup to be just right. The plates for her and Dawn were already out, along with most of their meals. The bowls for the Pokémon were also filled, each one labeled so that each Pokémon got the food they needed. "What is taking that lady so long?" she muttered under her breath, washing one of the skillets she had used. "You would think she'd wake up early today, considering who is visiting."

She hung the skillet on a hook to dry and checked the soup. It was finally ready. She poured some of the soup into two bowls and placed them on the table, sitting down once she did so. She waited for her daughter to arrive, but Dawn didn't come down. She thought she heard the girl scream about her bedhead again, but no sound came from the girl's room afterword.

'_May 23__rd_,' she thought. '_Today is the day my girl's closest friend comes to see her again. But why did it have to be on this day? He could have come yesterday, on the 22__nd__, or tomorrow, on the 24__th__. But why today? Why on the thirteen anniversary of that horrible day? Is it a sign of things to come for those two? I hope not. They are just too good for each other for something like that to happen. No one deserves to go through what I did that day, especially those two. Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid. Then again, I can't bring myself to forgive him for leaving us, his family, behind. And I still have trouble accepting the reasoning. I know he did it to proctect us, but it's been long enough. What about her? How is she doing with him? Sometimes I wonder if he is still-'_

Johanna's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of tiny footsteps. They disappeared almost as soon as she noticed them. She looked around her, but didn't see anything. Then she heard them again, a faint scurrying. She saw a blur of blue out of the corner of her eye. A yellow and brown one followed moments after. Once again, the sounds disappeared, along with their owners. She heard them again, this time right behind her.

As she turned around, she barely made out the two blurs again. Then she noticed it. One of the food bowls was missing. Not even a crumb was left in the place where it used to be. "Must be one of the Pokémon sneaking off to eat again," Johanna sighed.

Once again the blurs passed by, and this time Johanna was met with all of Dawn's food gone. "What the-?" Although it wasn't unusual that the Pokémon would take the food and eat elsewhere, it wasn't like Dawn to do the same. Not to mention there was no sign that she was even up yet. A light breeze brushed up against Johanna's back, right where the rest of the Pokémon food was.

All the Pokémon food was gone. Every single bowl was missing, with no trace of them to be found. A larger blur, this one also blue, passed by her, followed by the sound of spinning plates. Dawn's plates reappeared, empty of the food that was once on them.

_The hell is going on?_ The larger blue blur passed by her, disappearing out of sight before Johanna could get a good look at it. After a moment of silence, Johanna asked out loud, "Is this your doing, Dawn?"

"You got me," a voice growled behind her. The hairs on Johanna's neck stood up as she felt the speaker's growl roll across her skin. Johanna spun, around, meeting her daughter right in the eyes. A brief pause occurred before Johanna could process what she was seeing.

"AAH! What the-?" Johanna screamed. She backed up a bit, causing a little smile to form on Dawn's lips. The crazy hair look tied with the shadow trim and the glare made for a very intimidating look for Dawn. Her arms were crossed, and she stood firmly with her chest out and head pointing down a bit. It didn't help Johanna that Dawn was now taller than her. Mouth agape with her arms hanging limply by her side, Johanna asked, "Dawn, what-?'

"I finally reached the fourth level," the younger girl explained, relaxing herself and giving a small laugh. "That face of yours right now is priceless! Got ya!" Dawn broke out laughing, collapsing on her knees while holding her stomach. "I should have brought my camera! That picture would be worth a million words!"

Johanna continued gaping at her daughter, unsure what to make of the appearance or the sudden change in demeanor. After a bit of confusion, Johanna slowly relaxed and smiled that trolling smile of hers. "The fourth level, huh? I thought Super Saiyan 4's had tails…" Johanna mocked. The laughter stopped, and Dawn glared at her mother, causing Johanna's smile to get just a little larger.

"Damn it, Mom!" she growled, disappointed that she lost again. "You just had to ruin the moment."

Johanna chuckled, prompting her daughter to do the same. Johanna sat down at the table, motioning her daughter to do the same. Dawn shook her head. She pointed towards the patio doors and walked out. Johanna shrugged, picking up her food and following her.

There, on the front yard, all of Dawn's Pokémon were happily munching away, with Dawn's food from earlier set out on the patio table. Dawn scolded, "Mom, I told you to start using the new bowls we got a month ago." Johanna chuckled and set her food down, sitting across from Dawn. Piplup walked over from the front yard with his food bowl in flipper. He climbed onto the top of the table and sat in the middle, earning giggles from the mother and daughter duo.

"Pipilup!" he exclaimed with a smile before diving back into his munchies. Dawn proceeded to take a bite of the oran berry pancakes stacked before her, moaning as the berries burst in her mouth and the syrup mixed with the juices. Her mother smiled as Dawn savored another bite. No one knew how to make oran berry pancakes as well as her.

"You never disappoint, Mom," Dawn complimented before stuffing herself with the second pancake. The two continued eating in relative silence, with the only sounds being spoons and forks clanking on the plates and bowls. It was a rather large breakfast, but with the day ahead of them, they wouldn't have a chance to eat until after they meet up with Ash.

"So what did you think of being in the symphonic band this year?" Johanna asked between sips of a glass of water. The younger girl lifted her head with her mouth stuffed full of pancake, earning a chuckle from her mother. "With the crazy hair and the way you eat now, you could make for a very convincing Saiyan."

"Wouldn't that be lovely, being able to go blond?" Dawn joked, imagining herself at a Contest transforming into a Super Saiyan during the Appeals in correlation with a combo by Quilava and Piplup, with a Flamethrower and Hydro Pump combining in a way that the air around her yellow aura glowed. "Yeah… That would be awesome," she muttered with a soft smile as she returned to reality. "So, you asked me about band, right?"

"Yes. You were second chair, right? Pretty high for this being your first year at that level."

"I guess. I mean, there are five of us, and being second is pretty cool. But I would like first chair. It's not the same not being the lead for some parts of the songs."

"Do you think you will want to show him later on today?"

Dawn paused for a while, unsure of how to answer. On one hand, she wanted to show Ash all the talents and skills she had developed, but at the same time she wasn't sure if he would be that impressed or even understand how good she really was. He wasn't known to be the brightest in terms of understanding things outside of Pokémon, and music was for sure one of those. "Probably not," she muttured. "It might just all go over his head."

"Well, it has been six years since you traveled with him, and two since you last saw him. That's quite a long time for him to change."

"I guess. But this is Ash we are talking about."

"Don't be so hard on the guy. He has had a lot of time to grow. Besides, you two looked cute together all those years back."

"MOM!" Dawn yelled as her face reddened, catching the attention of her Pokémon. At first they were worried what was going on between Dawn and Johanna. Rarely did Dawn yell at her mother, but her tomato face gave away the reason. With that worry gone, they returned to munching, except for Piplup, who proceeded to clutch his stomach as he rolled on the table in laughter. Every time he seemed to catch his breath, he would look at Dawn once more, diving him into another sea of hysteria.

"Thanks for you approval, Piplup…" Dawn murmured as the color in her face returned. "Yeah, he was a great guy back when I traveled with him." She proceeded to grab a reed from the vase of flowers on the table and began to tickle Piplup. While she did so she continued, "I never met someone so thick headed yet so courageous. He was extremely passionate to become a Master, and he never thought twice about helping a Pokémon out." By that point Piplup had rolled of the table trying to avoid the reed, landing on the floor of the deck. With a pout he waddled off to join the Pokémon, leaving Johanna and Dawn by themselves.

"He sure is one of a kind, don't you think?" Johanna complimented between bites. Dawn nodded before beginning the noodle soup. "Last I heard, he became the Champion back in his home region. Is that right?" Dawn nodded again while slurping up a few noodles. "And yet winning in Kanto wasn't enough for him. He went on to win in almost every other region. Except for this one. You think he's coming to do the same here?"

"It's just like him to do so," Dawn replied. "It will be his third go at it. He is always looking for the next challenge. It wouldn't surprise me if he went on to challenge all the Champions of the world as well. Then he would truly be the best, like no one ever was."

"Is that what he told you he wanted to be? I thought he wanted to be a Pokémon Master."

"For him being a Pokémon Master means being the best. There is always someone better. If there is one thing he hasn't lost, it's his never ending will to get stronger. Who knows how far he's come, or how far he has yet to go."

"I guess the same can be said about you, Dawn. I know you've won the Grand Festival quite a few times, but it has been three years. The talent and abilities of today's Coordinators is just astounding. Much higher than when you started, and when you retired."

"I did not retire. It was just a brief hiatus."

"Was? You're going back?" Johanna stopped eating and gave a puzzled look at her daughter. "It's been three years Dawn. You sure you can do it?"

"Mom, I have to go back eventually. Besides, I've never won the Grand Festival here, in my own home region. I can't call myself a Top Coordinator until I do so. Besides, if Ash does decide to try the Sinnoh League, I might as well travel with him again. I'll ask him later today what he plans to do. What day is it anyway?"

Johanna replied, "May twenty-th-" She choked up as she remembered. "May 23rd. 13 years. Just you and me. You were only three then…"

Dawn's eyes widened as her mother rambled about the day before lowering her head. Sobs pierced the air as the Pokémon became silent. Then Dawn saw the tears. Her mother was a very strong woman, and it took a lot for her to cry. But there was always one day every year that managed to breach the walls of her strength and hit her heart. '_Damn it. In all my excitement over Ash arriving today, I forgot what day it was. 13 years…'_

Dawn stood out of her chair and walked over to her mother, who had her face in her hands and tears pouring out. Every year it was the same, and Dawn would often find her mother crying away for hours on end without stop. Just this one day.

Dawn stood behind her mother and hugged tightly, as if her love could give Johanna relief. Dawn rested her head on her mother's shoulders as her mother clutched on her daughter's hands. Dawn closed her eyes and whispered, "Please don't, Mom. I know it's been hard since then, but I can't stand seeing you like this. I don't want to see you in pain…" A few tears flowed from Dawn's eyes, connecting with her mother's to form a small river in the cracks of the table. "Stay strong, Mom. Not just for you, but for me too."

The Pokémon formed a crowd right before the porch, witnessing the two women in their misery. Most of them bowed their heads, feeling helpless to make their trainer feel better. Piplup tried to walk back up the porch and comfort Dawn, but Quilava gently him back. The blue penguin wanted to struggle but Quilava shook her head, making it known that it was something for the Berlitz family to work out, alone. Piplup nodded somberly in understanding.

The mother and daughter stood in silence. The river of tears crept along the cracks in the table as it flowed towards an edge. It formed a little waterfall as it flowed off the edge and onto a bush of white roses on the other side of the porch. Dawn held her mother closer as she saw this and Johanna squeezed her hand harder. Their heads nuzzled as they held each other close. Finally, Johanna rose her head, eyes red and puffy. She turned her head towards Dawn until her mouth was right next to her daughter's ear.

"… I love you Dawn."

"I love you too Mommy." Dawn kissed her mother on the cheek and gave her one last squeeze in the hug before she let go. Her hand slipped out of her mother's as she made her way back to her side of the table and waited. No tears poured out, and Johanna was now breathing deeply to calm herself.

She sighed, "I'm sorry, love sweetie. It's just so hard to let go, even if it has been thirteen years. I'm sorry for making you feel down when today is a day to celebrate and be happy. Don't let this old woman bring you down."

"You're not old, Mom," Dawn complimented. "You're more beautiful than all those supermodels. You could give Miss Sinnoh a run for her money.

Johanna chuckled, "The same for you, and I am sure Ash will agree when he sees you."

"MOM!" Piplup once again rolled around the floor at Dawn's sudden outburst, bit this time the other Pokémon understood. They joined Piplup as they laughed at their bright faced trainer, but they all stopped once they saw her death glare. That SSJ4 look didn't make help matters either, and once again Piplup ran around flippers flailing until he crashed into Mamoswine.

This time Dawn and Johanna joined in on the laughter as Piplup flipped in rage before Togekiss patted his head, calming the little guy down. Dawn recalled her Pokémon back into their balls, leaving only Piplup left. He leaped onto the porch and into Dawn's arms, where he snuggled himself and fell asleep. Dawn couldn't help but giggle at how cute he looked passed out from exhaustion and a full stomach.

"I am beautiful, aren't I? Even Ash, as dense as he is, should be able to see that." She smiled as an image formed of Ash's jaw dropping as he saw her for the first time in two years. She giggled at the thought, "I can't wait to see his face when he sees me again. And I can't wait to see him again and how much he's grown.

"Dawn," Johanna said as she took a final sip from her glass. "There's something I want to talk to you about." She leaned forward, as if to tell a secret to Dawn. Dawn tilted her head slightly to the right while raising an eyebrow. Cupping one of Dawn's ears in her hand, Johanna whispered, "It's about him."

"What do you mean, Mom?"

Johanna took a deep breath and sighed, "I just want you to be reasonable with this, Dawn. I know you had a crush on him back then, and that was reignited when you met up with him two years back in the Sinnoh League. But it has been a while since you last saw him. He is most certainly not the same young boy you met when you started on your journey, and most likely isn't the same boy from two years ago. I know you love the guy, but the best thing you can do is get to know Ash as who he is now. Only then can you say you truly love him."

Dawn remained unresponsive for a while, staring off into the distance in thought. Johanna continued, "I know this might be hard to hear, but you can't live in the past. You need to get to know him once again, and see how much he has changed. Who knows? He might be just as good, if not more so, than when you last saw him. Give it a bit of time. Talk with him. Have fun with him. Just don't go proclaiming your love for him until you understand him again."

Much to her surprise, Dawn immediately responded, "All right, Mom. I might not want to admit it, but you're right. We'll just have to see when we pick him up. No need to worry, right?"

Johanna chuckled, "I would usually say that's when I worry most, but this time you're correct. Just let things happen the way they will happen. Speaking of picking him up…."

"Oh shi-" Dawn almost yelled as leaped out of her chair before Johanna shot her a dark glare. Piplup stirred a little in her arms before yawning as he cuddled against her chest. But that wasn't the only reason her mother glared at her like that.

"None of that, young lady. You still need to work on watching your language."

"Sorry, Mom…" Dawn sheepishly apologized. "But it's already noon! There's so much to do! I have to get ready!"

As she ran to the house, Johanna yelled, "Finish your breakfast first!" The young girl slumped back into her chair, eating her food one-handed as to not disturb Piplup.

"Very soon…" she whispered.

* * *

"You're not going to meet him with THAT hairstyle, now are you?"

"Of course not, Mom. I don't think he will get the reference, and I don't want to scar him for life. Besides, do you believe that he watches Dragon Ball?"

"Why don't you ask him when we pick him up?"

"Sure, Mom. Stop dawdling me. I have to take a shower!" Dawn quickly grabbed some undergarments out of her drawers along with her towel and lunged into her bathroom. Soon, Johanna heard the sound of running water and Dawn whistling some song.

"Are you whistling the solo in Master of Puppets?" Johanna asked, sitting on her daughter's bed as she waited. In response, Dawn whistled even louder. Johanna sighed in disbelief as Dawn continued whistling the Metallica song. "In the shower too, of all places she could be whistling Metallica…"

She looked over to Dawn's collection of ribbons, badges and trophies on a shelf above her window. At the very center was the Sinnoh League trophy along with all eight badges in their case right next to the nameplate on the trophy. A multitude of ribbons lined the wall, with Grand Festival trophies under them. There was one empty spot, just under the plethora of Sinnoh ribbons Dawn had collected. The one she never won.

Dawn's whistling stopped, and the water followed. Knowing it would take a while for Dawn to get dried and dressed, Johanna got out of the bed and decided to take a closer look at the collection Dawn had accumulated. She still found it amazing that her daughter had somehow pulled off such a collection in just three years. Now that Dawn was going back to get that final Grand Festival trophy, Johanna couldn't help but smile at the thought of a complete collection being before her, the day that Dawn could finally call herself Top Coordinator.

"Uh…Mom?" Johanna heard behind her back.

"Yes, dear?"

"I kind of forgot to take my clothes into the bath to change, so…"

"You're standing behind me wearing only your underwear?"

"…yeah…"

Johanna shook her head in disbelief, saying, "Just get dressed then." Dawn hurried over to her closet and pulled out one of the dresses inside. Johanna had turned around and noticed the clothes Dawn had picked. Dawn had already thrown on a white undershirt and was holding a black dress with a pink skirt as a part of it. "Wait, isn't that the same dress you wore when you first traveled?"

Dawn answered, "It's the same style, but I ordered a larger one, for obvious reasons." Dawn slipped the dress over her head, but found it unusually tight. "Come on! This didn't shrink in the wash, did it?" After a bit of struggling, Dawn managed to slide the dress down. It was extremely tight on her, and she felt as if her entire body was being constricted. Fearing the worst, she looked down to see how long the dress was. The skirt hung just above her belly button, much smaller than what she ordered.

"I knew it," Johanna exclaimed. "It IS the same dress from six years ago. I'm sorry Dawn, but you're not the same little ten year old you used to be." Johanna went over to Dawn's closet and found the larger dress, handing it over to her daughter. "Let's do this right this time."

With a bit of struggling Dawn managed to remove the old dress, which Johanna decided to take with her for memories. Dawn quickly slipped on the new dress, which rolled on rather easily. The dress hugged her figure rather well, but the fabric was thick enough as to not be revealing in any way. This skirt was also a bit larger than the one before it, coming up about mid-thigh. Dawn grabbed a red scarf that she ordered with the dress and wrapped it around her neck, just like she did years before. Johanna expected Dawn to pull out a cap like the one she used to have, but the girl didn't.

She turned to her mother and asked, "Can you help me, Mom? The cap isn't going to arrive for another two weeks, and I have no idea how I want to style my hair."

"Sure sweetie," Johanna answered, following her daughter as Dawn sat down in a chair before her vanity. Johanna grabbed a brush and began going through Dawn's hair, surprised to find a lack of knots or resistance in it. "You take really good care of your hair, Dawn. I think I might be jealous." The two chuckled as Johanna ran her hands through Dawn's hair, wondering what style would be best.

"I know!" she exclaimed, pinching Dawn's hair at shoulder level. She then began to braid the hair below the pinch, which reached halfway between the small of her back and the tips of her shoulder blades. Johanna made three large "loops" in the braid, leaving about three inches of unbraided hair at the end. She grabbed a hot pink ribbon hanging on top of the vanity and made a bow between the braid and the last bit of loose hair. Johanna moved the finished braid so that it rested on Dawn's left shoulder. She then picked a pink rectangular hair clip from the container on Dawn's vanity that had a wide variety of hair clips. Johanna grabbed the leftmost bangs of Dawn's hair and held it back using the hair clip. "Done!"

Dawn stared at her reflection, with the braid on her left side contemplated well by the bangs pulled back. The three main groups of bangs on her forehead remained the same, with the rightmost forehead bang almost merging with the bangs left loose on the right side of her head. It was a peculiar asymmetry to the style, but it was well balanced and felt natural. "Mom, I love it!" Dawn said, leaping into her mother's arms.

"We ready to go then?" Dawn nodded, going over to her bed where she had left Piplup fast asleep. Even through all the madness of Dawn getting ready, he somehow was still asleep. She giggled at noticing he had not moved one bit since she had laid him on the bed. She silently slipped her black socks and pink boots on, waiting for the right moment to wake him up.

"Come on, get up sleepyhead," she whispered as she gave him a gentle shake. Piplup softly opened his eyes, and a blissful look came to his eyes as he saw his trainer looking rather beautiful, and not intimidating and scary like she was when she made herself look like a SSJ4. "Got a good rest?" The little penguin nodded, yawning as he stretched. "We're almost ready to go. Come on. We're going to see Ash and Pikachu again!" Hearing that, Piplup sprung out of the bed and motioned for Dawn and Johanna to follow him. The two giggled, walking with him down the stairs.

* * *

The two decided to take the minivan instead of the convertible so as to allow room for whatever Ash brought with him. They locked up the house and hopped into the minivan, with Johanna driving and Dawn at shotgun. Piplup climbed into a toddler's seat in the middle of the row behind the women. Dawn quickly strapped him in, giving him that scratch on his chin that he had come to enjoy so much.

"Are you ready Piplup?" Dawn asked.

"Pip!" he chirped. They smiled at each other before Dawn turned around so she could put on her seat belt. "Here we go. Two hour drive up to the port."

"Speaking of which," Johanna began, "when are you going to take the time to learn how to drive? You're at the legal age to." Dawn shrugged, reminding her mother of the busy schedule she had set herself up with for her junior year of high school. "Why do you have to load yourself up so, Dawn?"

"I might as well give it my all while I'm in school. Besides, all those advanced classes are the only ones that are at the next level I want to reach. Yes, I know it's a heavy workload, but if there's anyone who can do it, I can! No need to worry Mom."

"That's when I worry most." The three chuckled at the timing of the (in)famous line Dawn always said, and the equally (in)famous line that would always come after it as a response. "Since it will be three hours, what do you want to listen to? How about-"

Before Johanna could finish Dawn was already looking through the CD's in the glove box, and quickly found the one she wanted. She slid it into the CD slot of the car, and turned up the volume to a considerable level. Soon, a familiar guitar tone filled the car. Piplup began cheering, not hiding his enthusiasm at Dawn's choice.

"Ah, so in a Metallica mood is we?" Johanna asked. Dawn nodded before head banging to the heavy part of the first song 'Battery'. Piplup mimicked her, doing his best to form the devil horns with his flippers. "All right then. Metallica joyride it is." They pulled onto the main road and soon left Twinleaf Town on the way to the port.

Other than Dawn and Piplup head banging until their necks became sore and the three singing along to their favorite tracks off of the _Master of Puppets_ album, the first half hour or so was rather silent in terms of conversation. They passed by multiple towns, reminding Dawn of all the adventures she had six years before. Never would she have thought that she would have gone so far. Six years later, she had won the Grand Festival in nearly every region except her own, conquered the Sinnoh League, and even opened up her own minor clothing line.

At that point, her favorite track of the album began playing. She closed her eyes, shutting herself out from the world for eight minutes to submerge herself into the music. Out of all of Metallica's songs, this was definitely among her most favorite from the heavy metal legends. 'Orion' was strange for a Metallica song in that it was an instrumental, but that difference made her like it even more. Something about its aggression yet steadiness and calmness seemed to how she saw herself, and how she saw Ash. Ash…

"You know, Dawn, this was also was one of his favorite songs," Johanna mentioned, snapping Dawn out of her trance as the music transitioned to the softer syncopated bass riff. At first, Dawn was confused as to who her mother was talking about. Johanna continued, "You have so much in common with him, Dawn. So much." _Not again,_ Dawn thought to herself as she saw a tear run down her mother's face.

"Please don't, Mom. I know he liked Metallica as well, but don't let that get you down. It's like you said earlier. Let's just try to enjoy the music."

"You're right, Dawn. I have to look at the positives. Like…my little girl is meeting the love of her life again."

"MOM!"

"Pipipi!" the Pokémon laughed, clutching his stomach as Dawn's face reddened for the umpteenth time that day.

"…shut up…" she muttered, barely able to control her embarrassment.

"We're just having some fun, Dawn. No need to be embarrassed about it."

"…just turn up the music…"

* * *

"All right then. Here we are." Johanna parked the minivan just outside of the port, which was already bustling with people from all over the world. Dawn unfastened Piplup from his seat and the little penguin leaped into her arms. She and her mother stepped out of the car just in time to see the _S.S. Bejita _pull into the harbor.

"There it is. The boat that Ash is in," Dawn stated, beginning to make her way to the port. Her mother followed closely behind, locking up the minivan with the push of a button. The _S.S. Bejita _docked very quickly, and it took Dawn all the self-control she had to not run up to the ramp. She could feel something big coming.

At once, a massive horde of people and Pokémon began pouring out of the ship, quickly filling up most of the port right before the ship. For about ten minutes an uncountable number of travelers and visitors kept on flowing out of the ship at a steady rate. "Holy…" was all she and Johanna could mutter, with Piplup staring mouth agape at the mass of humanity and Pokémon before them. "How am I going to find Ash in all that!?"

"You'll find him Dawn," Johanna encouraged. "How hard is it to spot the only guy on the planet with those Z's on his cheeks?" Dawn nodded, taking another look at the crowd before her. She and Piplup both gulped at the task before them. "I'll wait for you over by that ice cream shop near the van. Good luck finding him."

"May Arceus be with me…" Dawn muttered, with Piplup nervously nodding in agreement. Johanna waved goodbye to her daughter as she walked over to the shop, leaving Dawn and Piplup alone. "Come on Piplup, let's go find Ash and Pikachu."

"Piplup!" Dawn, with Piplup in arms, ran into the crowd, maneuvering through the mass of people and Pokémon from all over the world. The majority of Pokémon she recognized, and she even noticed some familiar Trainers. But no sign of Ash or Pikachu so far. No boy with raven hair and a cap and a Pikachu on his shoulder came into view. Dawn and Piplup continued searching through the mass, but they couldn't find any sign of the two. "Pip!" Piplup exclaimed, pointing over to the railing of the port.

"We might as well try," Dawn muttered. "He isn't the kind to be in the middle of the crowd, especially with all the media hype behind him." Piplup climbed onto Dawn's head, trying to see if he could spot Ash above the crowd. Although Dawn had gotten rather tall recently, she wasn't tall enough for Piplup to get a clear image above the crowd. He sighed in disappointment, climbing back into Dawn's arms as they made their way to the railings. "Where are you, Ash?"

Right by the entrance of the _S.S. Bejita_, a young man stood off to the side, looking out towards the water. He wore a red collared vest over a white shirt and blue jeans with black sneakers. and belt. He had green fingerless gloves and wore a red cap over his raven's nest of dark cyan hair. And there was a Pikachu on his right shoulder, also looking out at the water.

Her eyes widened as she realized who it was. Dawn ran towards the young man, laughing to herself. She couldn't believe it. He was here! Piplup began calling out before her, causing the young man and his Pikachu to turn around. Unable to hold back anymore, Dawn yelled out, "Ash!" His eyes widened as she approached him, the girl giggling with her braid flying behind her. and Piplup in her arms "It's me!"

"Dawn, is that really you?"


End file.
